Tag Archives: Bottlenose dolphin

If you haven’t seen it, I think you’ll be impressed with this
video, which shows a bottlenose dolphin apparently asking for help
from some scuba divers, who noticed the animal tangled in fishing
line with a hook imbedded in its fin.

Martina Wing of Ocean Wings Hawaii captured the action, which
really begins at 3:30 into the eight-minute video, though the early
part sets the scene with some beautiful shots of manta rays. The
encounter took place Jan. 11 off the west coast of the Big
Island.

Reporter Philip Caulfield of the
New York Daily News quoted Keller Laros, the diver who came to
the rescue, as saying the dolphin was responsive to his gesture and
deliberately moved in close to be helped:

“I noticed he had a fishing wire wrapped around his left fin. I
reached out with my left hand … and gestured with my index finger
‘Come here.’ And he swam right up to me. The fact that he seemed to
recognize my gesture, that blew me away.”

Laros was able to cut away the line and remove the hook, and the
dolphin swam away.

The video has been viewed nearly 2 million times, with more than
2,000 comments posted to the site. I found some observations to be
thought-provoking:

DavidKevin: I am overwhelmed.

I have been certain for over 35 years that we shared the
planet with another sentient species, the dolphins, and this is
just more evidence of it. We don’t have to go off-planet to find an
alien species with whom to communicate, we just have to look
offshore.

If we cannot learn to communicate with our distant mammalian
relatives, we’ll never be able to communicate with true
extra-terrestrials, should we ever meet them.

Marvelicious75: We use the word ‘sentient’
in a dialectic manner, but it is quite obviously not accurate. It
is arrogance that makes us consider ourselves separate from
‘animals’ like the dolphin. This story isn’t truly surprising in
light of the countless stories of dolphins rescuing humans. The
only limiting factor is our surprising lack of empathy….

Hobbitfrdo: Sad day for the world if we
stopped loving all creatures. Respect to you all.

Russell Laros: The diver cutting the line
off in the video is my father. He was really happy to be able to
make this connection to the animal and was pretty impressed by it’s
intelligence. Apparently this dolphin has been in contact with
humans before, though. It has been seen and interacted with workers
at a local open ocean fish farm nearby. Still really amazing
though….

Misa Eniaki Amane: This dolphin is smarter
than all of us…..went up for air and back down to continue with the
rescue.

supertekkel1: There are numerous_ ancient
stories of dolphins rescuing sailors who went overboard. Whether
they are true or not, it’s nice to see that we are finally able to
do something to return the favor.

1Irisangel: What a blessing to have
captured these moments on film. No words needed, only love and
compassion for a fellow traveler on planet Earth. Wonderful capture
Martina!

OonaCanute: Now to get rid of all the
fishing nets and lines and hooks that kill thousands of dolphins
like this beauty every year.

Alex Bruce: The trust the dolphin had in
the humans in his time of need is humbling to me. Dolphins are very
intelligent creatures and know when to allow man to handle and help
them. The men that helped the dolphin have to have felt some sense
of pride derived from their kindness and humane actions. I know I
did when many years ago I helped rescue a pelican that had a 3-barb
hook anchored in its wing and a weight that was attached to the
fishing line. He said. “Thank you” in his way and took off in
flight

bcmom5: Awesome. It swam around until it
found the right person to help it. That person and all who had a
hand in it were blessed with Dolphin Medicine which teaches us to
get out and breathe, explore, play. Breathe new life into your
life. Awesome. Thank you for helping and for
sharing.

userbc44: What a touching and pure video! I
love the part at 4:33 when the diver goes to take off his lights
and puts them on the sea floor, the dolphin swims right in front of
him as to say, “Theres more! don’t go, here I am!”

POMPCATZ: Wonderful to watch this
intelligent creature seek your help and let you finish the job
after going up for air. This is just more proof these beautiful.
intelligent life forms should not be slaughtered for ignorant
tradition and profit.

KillerinExile: Dolphins seem almost
sapient. If they’re smart enough to ask for help maybe we shouldn’t
be eating and abusing them like we do.

starsbydaylight: … I am sure the majority
of people are naturally happy to help distressed animals that keep
their calm, sometimes being out of fear unreasonable while being
rescued. Once I witnessed a toddler busy carefully rescue a
butterfly drowning in a puddle of water. The intelligence of the
dolphin and the kind manner of the diver made me cry. In fact the
dolphin saved its own life….

flowerseva: This is the ‘Real News’
happening on Planet Earth! Imagine if the 6 o’clock nightly news
was filled with these images and emotions – What kind of world
would we then be creating??

I’m sorry to report that the bottlenose dolphin we’ve been
talking about recently was found dead on a beach near Nisqually.
The dead dolphin was spotted Tuesday in the area where it was last
seen alive and swimming two weeks previously.

John Calambokidis of Cascadia Research reported that an
examination of the animal on Thursday failed to reveal any obvious
cause of death. The dolphin was thin, but it clearly did not starve
to death. Significant skin lesions were evident, and examiners
found hemorrhaging around the jaw. That would be consistent with
what would have occurred from thrashing around on the beach.

The animal was a male who had not yet reached maturity.

Tissue samples were fresh enough to be sent away for microscopic
examination, and tests will help determine the dolphin’s toxic
load. Such pathology may or many not help determine the cause of
death.
—–

Cascadia Research is reporting a series of sightings of a
bottlenose dolphin in Puget Sound — something that nobody expects
to see in the cool waters of the Northwest.

A rare bottlenose dolphin
has been sighted swimming around in the cool waters of Puget
Sound.Photo by Josh Oliver, courtesy of WDFW and Cascadia
Research.

Does anybody remember Flipper from the television show in the
1960s? Of course, Flipper was a bottlenose dolphin, a creature
normally found in tropical waters.

John Calambokidis of Cascadia reports that the dolphin was first
spotted in mid-December around the Port of Tacoma. Since then,
sightings have been reported in the Redondo Beach near Des Moines
and most recently in Budd Inlet near Olympia, where the animal was
seen starting Sunday.

John said he is aware of only two other occurrences of
bottlenose dolphins in Puget Sound. The first was an adult male
that washed up dead in Samish Bay near Bellingham in 1988. The
other one showed up early last year and was seen in various places
in South Puget Sound during June. It was assumed that this was the
same animal that washed up dead near Steilacoom in Pierce County on
July 18.

The dolphin traveling about Puget Sound at this time appears to
be in a reasonably fit condition, according to a report on Cascadia’s
website, but it does have some kind of skin condition.
Cascadia, along with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
and the Northwest Marine Mammal Stranding Network, are continuing
to monitor the animal’s movements and condition.

Anyone who spots the dolphin is asked to call Cascadia at (360)
943-7325 or toll-free (800) 747-7329.